The Fireworks
by Bella226
Summary: This takes place during 6th year when Ron is dating Lavender. Lavender has finally lost it, and she's lashing out at Hermione. How far will Lavender go? Whose side will Ron take?
1. Lavender's Explosion

Hermione was sitting in her room that she shared with Ginny in the Gryffindor girls' tower. She was reading over the next chapter in her Charms book. It seems like the only thing she does these days is read. Now that Harry is too busy trying to help Dumbledore and Ron can't stop snogging Lavender. She still couldn't believe Ron. How can he do this to her? Doesn't he understand that she's mad for him?

"Hermione! It's your birthday! Why on earth are you sitting in our bedroom reading your _charms_ book?" Ginny's been doing her best to get Hermione out of her slump, but there is only one person who could. And that person isn't Ginny.

"I guess you're right. Where's Harry? I figured you'd be with him."

"He said he had to go talk to Slughorn about some potion he didn't understand. Weird way to spend a Saturday, huh? " Ginny still didn't know about Harry's "assignment" from Dumbledore.

"Oh. Well would you go for a walk with me? I guess that would be fun for a birthday." Hermione had never really been big on birthdays before, but now she really didn't feel like celebrating anything. It's just another year of her life that Ron didn't take any notice of her.

"Great! Let's go." Hermione got up off her bed and started walking toward the door. As soon as Ginny turned into the hallway, she stopped. Slowly, she back into the room and looked at Hermione. "I don't know what's wrong, but Lavender looks like she wants to kill someone. She's storming down the hallway."

Hermione just stayed where she was at. She had no interest in seeing her, especially if she was angry. That girl was unpredictable and there's no telling what she would do. "Let's just stay right here until we hear her door slam. Then it should be safe." Lavender had the room next to Hermione's and Ginny's.

Instead of Lavender stopping at her room, she marched right on. She turned into the door of Hermione's room, practically shoving Ginny out her way. Out of no where, she marched up to Hermione and slapped her.

For a second, Hermione just stood there in stunned silence. Then she realized what had happened. She put all of her anger into her right hand and slapped Lavender right across the face. Lavender looked as if she didn't expect it.

At that point, Parvati decided to step in. She grabbed Lavender and stopped her from hitting Hermione again. Hermione was happy about this, but didn't show it. She knew how crazy girls fight, and she knew she would probably lose.

Lavender took a deep breath and looked at Hermione. Parvati slowly released her. Ginny was standing in the corner, still in shock. Lavender stuck her nose up in the air and looked at Hermione and said "I don't want you anywhere near _my_ Won-Won again. He doesn't like you anyways. He's just too nice to say it."

"That's a lie. The only person my brother is too nice to tell to get lost is you freak!" Ginny had clearly caught up to what was going on, but she still looked shocked. She turned to Hermione and looked at her as if saying _tell her now!_

Hermione wasn't going to yell back at Lavender. That's what she wanted. Instead she calmly asked her "So Lavender, what are your plans for the summer?"

Lavender looked confused, but then she regained her composure and said "Why? Are you trying to stalk me or something?"

"No, I was just wondering. Would you like to hear mine?"

"I-"

"Great. I'll probably spend a little bit of time at home. See my friends, spend time with family. That sort of stuff." Lavender looked completely lost on what Hermione was up to. "I also have to take time to write back to Harry and Ron. Harry normally writes me about once a month, just to check in. But last summer, Ron wrote me once or twice a week. He's so sweet. I understand why you like. Anyways, I'll also be going to stay with Ron and his family for about two weeks. Maybe three. They all love me. His mom says that I'm such a good influence on him and that she isn't supposed to tell me, but he normally can't wait until I get there.

"And this year, I imagine Harry will be spending most of his time with Ginny, so it will just be me and Ron. So Lavender, did Ron invite you over too?" Hermione ended this with a friendly smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ginny. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"No he- he hasn't. B-but I'm su-sure he meant to." Lavender looked defeated.

"Oh, I'm sure he did, too. I mean you're the one he wants to spend time with. Not me." With this, Lavender stormed out of the room. She heard Lavender's door slam and Parvati open it and follow her in.

"I bloody love you Hermione," said Ginny. "Aren't you having a great birthday?" She asked sarcastically.

"If you'll excuse me Ginny, I think I'm going to pass on the walk."

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to your brother. This is going to end, once and for all."


	2. The Big Explosion

Before she gave herself enough time to talk herself out of what she was doing, Hermione had blown through the common room and was climbing the stairs of the Gryffindor boys' tower. Ron's room was the first room, so she could hear him talking inside. When she got to the doorway, Ron was sitting on his bed looking at a quidditch magazine and talking to Neville who was pouring water into what looked like a mouth on one of his plants.

They didn't see her come in, but she still had enough anger left in her to not back down now. "Hey Neville, would you mind letting me talk to _Won-Won _alone for a minute?"

Neville looked afraid to say no. He could tell Hermione was mad. He just nodded his head and walked quietly out the room. Hermione stepped in and closed the door behind her rather loudly. Ron looked terrified.

"H-happy birthday H-hermione. Has it been going good?"

"Oh don't bother pretending to care. I'm up here to talk to you about your bloody girlfriend."

"Well there's something I should tell you-"

"Shutup. Let me tell you what just happened. Your _lovely _Lav-Lav just came upstairs and had a bit of a confrontation with me."

"Hermione, listen I-"

"You're not even going to ask what she did? Oh, wait. You probably think it's my fault anyways. 'What did Hermione do to hurt my poor, innocent girlfriend this time?' Is that what you're thinking right now?"

This made Ron mad. He wasn't going to stand there and let Hermione scream at him anymore. "Actually, that's not what I was thinking. I was thinking about how you need to stop screaming at me and listen to what I have to say. Bloody hell, Hermione. You haven't said a word to me since I started going out with her. Now you come up just to scream in my face because she upset you in some way?"

"Upset me? She barged into my room and _slapped _me Ronald! If you don't believe me, go ask your sister. She saw it."

Ron's expression changed to one of concern "Are you ok? Did she hurt you?"

Hermione laughed. "I may be nothing more that a nerdy girl, Ron, but that little Barbie doll can't do anything to me."

"Barbie?"

"Oh, never mind. Besides, don't act like you care."

"Hermione, I do care-"

"And I'll have you know that I hit your precious Lavender back. A lot harder."

Hermione stopped and tried to read Ron's expression, but she couldn't. He looked stunned, but there was something else there, too.

"Did that make you happy?" This wasn't an angry response. Ron actually looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"I-I- yes. Yes it did. And I don't care if you hate me for doing it."

"I don't hate you for doing it. She deserved it for hitting you." Hermione couldn't believe what Ron just said. She was in an utter state of confusion.

"You don't care that-"

"Nope. Now can I please tell you what I've been trying to say since you came in here?"

"Uh, sure."

"Thank you." Now Ron started to look a little nervous, but Hermione couldn't figure out why. "Right after breakfast today, I rushed back up here to get the birthday present that I had bought for you before school started. I set it down on my trunk and walked over to my bed to grab my wand just in case I needed it. When I turned around, Lavender was in the doorway. She saw the present and assumed it was for her. When I explained to her that I was your birthday present, she freaked out on me."

"That's kind of what crazy people do, Ron." Ron gave Hermione a look for interrupting him. "Sorry, go on."

"She started screaming at me and telling me that I shouldn't be giving you gifts because it sends the wrong kind of message and people already think that I like you." Ron began to redden a little in the face. "And so I kind of told her that I needed a little space and that she needs to stop saying all these mean things about you because I care about you. Then she started saying I shouldn't care about you because- well, she said some very rude and untrue things. So I told her what I've been trying to tell her for months." Ron paused and looked at Hermione, now very red in the face. "I told her that I want to break up with her and when she insisted on having a reason why… I told her that I l-like you."

"Oh, I get it. You just made up some lame excuse to get her to go away at my expense. Now she hates me even more. And that's mean Ron. I mean, you have to bloody know how much I like you! So now you're just using it against me. It-"

Ron cut Hermione off. He couldn't take it anymore. She actually just said that she liked him. He grabbed put his hands on the sides of her face and began to kiss her. Hermione was so shocked that she just stood there. She couldn't believe Ron was actually kissing her. He pulled away, looking hurt.

"I-I'm sorry, Hermione. I- well I kind of thought you wanted me too."

Hermione had tears in her eyes. "Ron are you trying to mess with my head, because this isn't funny. I really care about you and I'm not interested in being the new girl you snog all the time even though you'd prefer someone else."

Ron placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "Hermione Jean Granger. I am absolutely mad about you. There is no other person in the world I would prefer to be with."

At this Hermione lost all traces of anger and sadness. She threw herself into Ron's arms and began to kiss him passionately. This is what she had been yearning for all year. Longer than that, really. She felt as if there were fireworks going off in her body. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

They finally pulled apart when they needed air, but Ron kept his forehead resting on Hermione's. "Happy birthday you crazy, beautiful girl." Hermione felt as if she could fly.

"So can I give you your present now?"

"I think you already did."

Ron smiled as he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her across the room. He reached down and grabbed a little box that looked like it would contain jewelry. Hermione looked up at Ron. "Go ahead. Open it."

Hermione looked down at the box and slowly opened it. Inside were two reddish-pink earrings that were the shape of roses. They reminded her of the ones that she wore to the Yule Ball two years ago. "Oh, Ron. They're beautiful."

"I thought you might like them. I remember hearing you talk to Ginny after the Yule Ball about how those earrings you wore were just borrowed from a friend, but you would love to have a pair like them. I was walking by a jewelry shop when I saw these in the window. I automatically thought of you. It was kind of embarrassing going in there, but your smile right now is worth so much more than my emotional scars."

This made Hermione burst out laughing as Ron hoped it would. "I love them."

"Then I guess that means that I'm pretty good at picking out presents for my girlfriend." Hermione began blushing and she and Ron walked down to the common room hand-in-hand.


End file.
